Various types of bulk materials are shipped, stored, and otherwise processed and distributed in the form of compressed bales. For example, cotton is processed into compressed bales so that a great amount of cotton may be stored and shipped in a smaller space. Bales are also easier and more efficient to handle than the loose bulk material. It is generally known to wrap such bales of compressible material with wire or other elongated binding devices to keep the bales in a compressed form, such as for shipping and storage. Wire is often most preferable for its low cost and the ease with which it is handled.
One method of forming a bale directs the compressible material into an automatic baler where it is pressed into a bale by a ram and then moved by the ram through the baler. Continuous wire strands extend across the bale path at different heights on the bale, and as the bale moves through the baler, the wire strands are wrapped around the front end and sides of the bale. An automatic tying system then engages the bale and wire strands and ties the wire strands around the bale, such as by twisting together the overlapped ends of the wire strands. Examples of various automatic balers and tying methods are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,120,238; 4,155,296; 4,167,902, and 4,459,904. While automatic tying apparatuses have proven suitable for baling and tying compressed bales in certain applications, they generally require complex, expensive machinery which has to automatically manipulate and twist the wires and bales together to form the bale.
Alternatively, certain baling applications require hand splicing or tying of the wires wrapped around a bale in order to reduce the complexities and costs associated with automatic tying systems. Furthermore, the particular material being baled may dictate that hand tying is required, because of the complexities involved in trying to design an automatic tying apparatus.
Hand tying or splicing mechanisms in the prior art have provided a means for splicing or tying two wires together, such as to bind a bale. However, many such devices are bulky and complicated to utilize. Furthermore, they do not address the unique problems and scenarios which exist when bale wire ends are being tied together around a bale of compressed material.
Still further, many such splicers are made for wires which have overlapped ends which stay neatly together, whereas the overlapped ends of wires wrapped around compressed bales tend to want to separate before and during twisting. The separation of the wire ends while they are being tied together will degrade the strength of the knot or may even prevent the formation of a proper knot.
Another drawback in the prior art is the necessity of having to wrap the ends of the wires together numerous times in order for the ends to be properly secured together. This will often require multiple movements, such as multiple rotations of the elements of the tying mechanisms, which slows the tying process and reduces the overall efficiency of the process. This may also be particularly tiresome to a person doing the tying in the case of a manual mechanism. However, if the wire twist or knot is not adequately formed around the bale, the bale might not hold together.
Therefore, there is a need for a mechanism which rapidly and adequately ties and secures a wire or other similar binding device around a bale of compressed material.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive apparatus for tying a wire around a bale rapidly and easily.
It is another objective of the present invention to handle and tie wire wrapped around bales while keeping the overlapped ends of the wire together.
It is a further objective of the present invention to wrap and tie bales with a strong durable twist or knot which has sufficient strength to hold the bales together even during handling.
It is still another objective of the present invention to bind and tie a bale of compressible material quickly and efficiently with continuous strands of baling wire.
These and other objectives will become more readily apparent from the Summary of the Invention and Detailed Description set forth hereinbelow.